The Voyage Of The Little Merman
by Lady-Mademoiselle
Summary: A retelling of the classic: The Little Mermaid except its genderbent Ariel. Some parts in this story will be altered due to the fact that I wanted to be a little creative. (Only Ariel & Eric's genders will be swapped)
1. The Vow

"If only I could make him understand…"

Ariel's shoulders hunched over as a heavy sigh escaped his lips. Cerulean eyes gazed up at the confines of his grotto, taking in all of the treasures that he allowed to accumulate over the years. This was his sanctuary. Here he could be himself, he could talk about his dreams and desires without being judged.

"What's so wrong about wanting to see new sights?"

Flounder nudged the adolescent in his side, trying to act as a source of comfort for the young prince. "H-Hey don't be sad Ariel, he's just trying to protect you." Upon hearing this; the merman had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"Protect me from what? Why does he hate humans so much? I mean, sure not every one of them are kind, but all of them can't be bad either!"

"I've never been around humans so I wouldn't know…"

Ariel huffed in aggravation. "I want to know what's out there." He flapped his brilliant green fin, using his arms as a guide in the water. He swam up to where the reflection of the moon filtered into his grotto, illuminating all of his trinkets with a shimmering blue light. "Oh flounder…all of my life I've roamed these waters. I know Atlantica like the back of my hand. I just-I want to be where the people are. I want to run in the sun and feel the sand beneath my-what are they called again?"

"Feet?"

"Yeah feet,"

Flounder giggled at Ariel's enthusiasm. The boy was young so it was only natural for him to be curious about the outside world. The only thing standing in the young prince's way was his stern father. But everyone knew that the man was only like this because he cared for his son's well-being. Ariel always had an adventurous and rebellious nature to him. He could never stay in one place, and knowing that fact scared Flounder. He had a fear that one day Ariel would run into trouble. The poor fish was so lost in his own thoughts that he neglected to notice Ariel swimming off again.

"Come on Flounder!"

The fish shook his head trying to rid him-self of the thoughts. "Huh? Wait Ariel where are you going?" Flounder swam as fast as his tiny fins would carry him, as he desperately tried to catch up to the teenager.

"I heard something coming from above and I want to check it out."

The smile and pleading eyes that Ariel sent the fish was enough to make him cave in and follow. "Alright…but make it quick you don't want Sebastian to catch us missing."

* * *

"Wow!"

There were brilliant blue and red sparks of light shooting through the air. Ariel's eyes went wide in amazement, but his attention quickly diverted to the large ship that was sailing nearby. It was his first time seeing one that was so close by. He swam closer to get a better look at what was going on.

"Ariel wait I can't keep up with you!"

So entranced by the sounds coming from the boat the red head neglected to answer his companion. The teen pushed his wet bangs out of his face. There was an opening from the ship that allowed him and Flounder who had finally caught up to get a better look.

"Whoa!"

Ariel grinned as he gazed upon the humans. They seemed to be having a party of some sort. There was dancing and music. They looked as if they were having a grand old time. The merman looked at each and every human that was on board. All of them looked pretty ordinary to him but then one person caught his eye. In the far corner was a beautiful girl with gorgeous waist length black hair and stunning blue eyes to match. She was clad in a white shirt and an ankle length navy blue skirt. The girl was leaning against the banister, gazing at the sea with a look that Ariel was all too familiar with. The red head found that he couldn't tear his eyes away from the princess.

"She's very beautiful but she looks…sad."

Ariel continued to watch as a grey dog suddenly brushed up against the girl's leg, and surprisingly, she turned around and smiled at it. The prince swore that his heart skipped a beat. He would give anything to see a smile as heart-warming as that any day.

"Silence! Silence! It is now my honor and privilege to present our own esteemed princess Erica with a very large, very expensive birthday present. Happy birthday, Erica,"

The large sheet that covered the statue was pulled off, revealing a very detailed statue of the princess. Erica scowled a bit and Max had a similar expression. She appreciated the thought but it wasn't something she would like. It was a bit _too _extravagant for her taste. "Gee Grimsby it's really something, you shouldn't have."

"Nonsense, I commissioned it myself. Of course I hoped that it would be a wedding present but…"

Erica rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Please Grim don't start. I know everyone expects me to get married but I want to find love on my own time. I'm still young and there's plenty of time. I know the right one is out there somewhere, I just haven't found him yet."

Grimsby sighed and shook his head at the young princess. She could be so hard-headed and unreasonable at times. As a royal she was expected to be married off to a prince a long while ago, but she kept putting it off. The answer was the same each time the topic was brought up. "Well, perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough."

"Believe me Grimsby, when I find him I'll know-without a doubt. It'll just!-BAM-hit me-like lightning."

As if on cue a defining crack of lightning lit up the sky. The horizon grew intimidatingly dark and the waves of the oceans suddenly began to violently crash into each other.

"Hurricane a'commin'! Stand fast! Secure the riggin!"

Everything seemed to blur around Erica as one thing led to another. Fire encased the ship and she found that her only priority was to get herself and Max off safely. She remembered getting Max off but her foot got stuck afterwards. There was an explosion from there and then everything went dark.

* * *

"Is she-dead?"

Ariel looked over the ebony-haired woman's body, his free hand caressing her cheek. The young prince had taken a risk and saved the princess from drowning. He knew his father would never approve of it but he couldn't find it within himself to care. Scuttle had flown over to the two of them in the spur of the moment. He seemed to be the expert on all things human, so it was natural for Ariel to ask him about these things.

Scuttle pried open Erica's eyeballs and then placed his head to her foot. "It's hard to say…oh I can't make out a heartbeat." Ariel frowned upon hearing this, but a small movement from Erica's chest made the red head grin in relief. "No, look! She's breathing. She's so beautiful."

Ariel sighed as he looked upon the beautiful princess. He would do anything to be a part of her world. He wanted to break away from the sea and tread on dry land. His heart seemed to swell with an overwhelming longing. He began to hum to himself as his pale hand caressed Erica's sun kissed skin.

"What would I give to live where you are? What would I pay to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you smiling at me? Where would we walk? Where would we run? If we could stay all day in the sun? Just you and me and I could be part of your world."

The ebony haired woman slowly began to stir awake. And when she opened her eyes she could make out a silhouette of a young man with gorgeous red hair. His warm touch felt heavenly against her cold skin and his voice-oh his voice was beautiful. Unlike anything his ears have ever heard.

"Erica! Erica is that you?"

Upon hearing the voice of Grimsby Ariel quickly retreated his hand and dove back into the confines of the water, hiding him-self behind a nearby rock. The young prince watched from afar as the older man helped Erica to her feet. She looked a little astonished as she looked around frantically, looking for something or someone in particular.

"Erica what is it? You look delirious."

"T-There was this boy…he had the most beautiful voice."

Grimsby scanned the area and shook his head when he saw no one of the sort. He chuckled and held the girl up some more. "Oh Erica, I think you swallowed a bit too much sea water. Honestly what were you thinking doing something as dangerous as that? Nevertheless, come let's get you back to the castle.

Ariel watched the pair walk away as they slowly disappeared from sight. Flounder looked at the red head who had a strange look on his face, although he knew what the prince was thinking and it was not a good thing at all.

"I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now. Watch and you'll see someday I'll be, part of your world."

* * *

"What's with him lately?"

It hadn't gone unnoticed by anyone that Ariel had been acting _different _lately. All six of his sisters had noticed that the boy was much more happy and upbeat about things. There was no complaining, no fighting- he even managed to arrive on time for rehearsal this morning and that made Sebastian very suspicious. And so the girls thought that it would be best to confront their youngest brother about the situation.

"Ariel, what's going on with you?"

It was Attina who had asked the question. She already had a hunch as to what was going on with the red head, but she figured she'd ask first before jumping to conclusions. But Ariel was a tough one to crack. He pulled up his blanket to his stomach and leaned against the comfort of his bed, never once tearing his eyes away from the sketchbook that he was drawing on. "What would make you think that something's going on with me, Attina?"

All of the mermaids frowned upon hearing this. They should have known that this wouldn't be easy. However, Attina pressed on. "You've been singing all day to yourself, twirling around, smiling, daydreaming, you were even early for rehearsal! And it's been a year since you've last been on time."

Ariel still didn't look up as he added the finishing touches to his drawing. He practically ignored his annoying sisters who wouldn't stop bugging him about his behavior. "Maybe I wanted to be prompt today. And is it wrong for me to be happy?"

"Well no-it's good to be happy it's just that-"

"Oh enough with all of this, what are you drawing Ariel!?" It was Arista who had snatched the sketch book from the boy's hands, holding it up for all of her sisters to see. Ariel protested, quickly trying to grab it back but it was already too late. And there were several gasps. The girls had seen the beauty that he was so desperately in love with.

Adella squealed in delight. "I knew it! Our little brother is in love. Oh and she's so beautiful, what's her name? When can we meet her?"

Ariel felt his cheeks grow warm from embarrassment. "I'm not in love! It's just a stupid drawing. Stop getting all worked up over nothing. Now give it back to me."

Alana shook her head and sighed. "Nope you're lying! If you were telling the truth you wouldn't be blushing as much as you are now. It's no use keeping it a secret, are you afraid that Daddy would disapprove?"

Ariel scratched his head, adverting his eyes as he mumbled to himself "I know he won't approve." Despite their different genders, Ariel was quite close to his six sisters. He trusted and loved all of them dearly, but he wasn't sure if he could tell a secret as big as this one. It was too risky. The red head noticed that Andrina was still looking at his sketch book intently, flipping through the pages as multiple sketches of the same girl came up. And the girl's next words made Ariel cringe.

"Ariel is this girl…human?"

Upon hearing this all five of the mermaids gathered to take a look at the book again. And Andrina was right. None of the sketches that were of the girl showed her with a fin like the rest of them had. A concerned look crossed Attina's face. But the rest of his sisters immediately swarmed their younger brother. Squealing, gushing, and asking a million questions at once.

"Is it true Ariel? Are you in love with a human?"

With a wary look the prince finally sighed and caved in. He closed his eyes as his bare shoulders slummed in defeat. "Yes…but y-you can't tell dad, okay. He'll kill me if he found out."

"We won't tell Ariel."

Ariel looked at each and every one of his sisters in the eyes, making sure that they wouldn't betray him. "You all have to pinky promise me that you won't tell a soul."

"We promise!"

All seven of them connected their pinkies, all looking positively certain that they could keep Ariel's secret under wraps. All except Attina.

* * *

**A/N: I really wasn't supposed to be writing this because I need to finish up my '****Wired Life' fic, but I was so inspired by some Fanart of genderbend Ariel on Tumblr that I just couldn't help myself. It's summer time now and I think _The Little Mermaid_ is the perfect fic to read since it's all water and pretty music, but anyways I hope whoever reads this likes it and hopefully leaves a little feedback or pointers for me. **

**Thanks~**


	2. Substitutes & Lies

The following weeks consisted of Ariel incessantly sneaking up to the surface to collect gadgets, in hopes that he may also see Princess Erica somewhere along the way. However, doing this was not an easy task. Each time that the prince decided to swim off to land his sisters were left with the responsibility of covering up for his absence, and lately he has been disappearing more and more frequently than normal.

"Attina where is Ariel?"

Attina hated it when her father always came to her for questions. She didn't like lying to him one bit but she knew Ariel would be upset if she didn't. So she put on a fake smile and patted her hair. "Ah you know Ariel, daddy. He's probably swimming around with Flounder somewhere playing kick the can on the reef!"

King Triton raised an eyebrow. The man let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know how many times I've told him that there is a time for fun and a time to be serious. Whenever I need to speak with him he's never around." Triton shook his head, "Well when you do see Ariel again tell him I would like to speak with him in private. We have a very important matter to discuss."

"Yes Daddy."

* * *

"Tell us more Ariel! What did you find on land today?"

The prince grinned and pulled out his orange knapsack from behind his bed. "I found quite a few things today on land." His sisters gathered around him to take a look at his treasures. Ariel took out a golden music box and winded it up so that it could play. "Scuttle said that this is one of the many things that humans like to collect!" By the looks of it, the trinket had been through quite a bit. Certain parts were discolored from too much water exposure, and there was some sand that stuck to it here and there, but despite its flaws the music box was still admirable in its own unique way. Adella stared at it in awe as the melodious tune filled her ears.

"Oh that's so amazing! What else do you have?"

Ariel smiled, his azure eyes practically twinkling in delight. It felt nice to be able to share his findings with his siblings, but what really made him happy was the fact that they were just as intrigued with human things as he was...well, almost. "I found another dingle hopper! Oh and A couple of marbles, and a-"

"Sorry to interrupt Ariel, but father has been looking for you all day long. He told me that he wanted to speak with you in private." Attina said, gaining the attention of all six of her siblings. "Aw, but Ariel was about to show us the rest of the stuff he found on the surface." Andrina complained, whilst frowning at her eldest sister.

"I'm sure Ariel can show you the rest once he returns."

Ariel sent an apologetic smile to his sisters before packing away his things, swimming past Attina so that he could head towards his father's palace. He wondered what lecture his father would give him this time. When the redhead exited their room he was quickly tugged on the arm. He turned to see that it was once again Attina. "Is something wrong, Attina?"

The brunette's eyes were momentarily downcast. She was biting on her bottom lip with both hands behind her back. Slowly, but tentatively she look up at her baby brother. "Look Ariel, I don't want to sound like an overbearing mother or anything but you've got to stop this. Every time you disappear daddy always comes to me asking where you are. And I hate lying to him. I've done it ten times this week and I don't know how much longer I can keep it up."

Ariel looked at Attina expectantly. He knew that this would come eventually, just not so soon. "…I know I can be selfish sometimes but this is what I really love. I like going to the surface and collecting things and that won't change. I'm not going to stop seeing the land above just because dad doesn't approve of it. There are so many wonderful people above, there's so many places to explore and it's hardly fair that he wants to keep me away from it all."

"But Ariel he's just trying to protect you."

Ariel groaned and threw his hands up, "From _what? _What is he protecting me from? What does he have against humans anyways?" The prince's eyebrows creased his blue eyes suddenly wide with annoyance and confusion.

Attina glared at her brother, her lips settling into a frown "Ariel stop this, you know why he acts the way that he does. Our mother was killed by humans. He's never really gotten over the incident. You look the most like her Ariel. When he looks at you he sees her and it pains him that you're so infatuated with the very beings that caused her death."

The redhead's eyes widened momentarily as he processed his sisters words. He knew how his mother's death occurred but his father had only told half of the truth. Sebastian had told him what really occurred. It wasn't the humans fault entirely. Their mother had went back to retrieve her music box at the last minute and got crushed by their ship. He was growing tired of this back and forward. No matter what he did or said he was always in the wrong. He was constantly being reminded that he was the odd ball, the rebel of the family and he was sick of it. "Just forget it. I'm going to see father."

"Ariel wait, I'm sorry I shouldn't have-"

Realizing her mistake she reached out to touch his shoulder but he moved away and quickly swam off into the calm depths, leaving his elder sister to wallow in her thoughts.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Dad?"

Upon seeing his youngest son in his presence, King Triton straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "Ah yes Ariel. I've called you here for a specific reason. As you know you're at the age where you are expected to be betrothed to a young mermaid." When Ariel heard this he cringed and diverted his gaze away from his father's intimidating one. It just wasn't fair. His sisters were way older than he was yet they weren't pressured into getting married, but him? As the only son of King Triton he was _supposed_ to marry early and carry on the family name.

"Dad I…I don't want-"

"I won't have any backtalk today Ariel. I've been prolonging this for as long as possible but I simply cannot do it anymore. There are plenty of beautiful young mermaids in the sea, I'm sure you can at least find _one_ that compliments you well." The man sighed, rubbing his temple with his index finger. "I'm not getting any younger. I just want to make sure that you and your sisters are well taken care of."

At this point Ariel knew that his father wouldn't listen. He never did. And that frustrated him to no end. He knew that he was concerned but the man never asked how he felt-what he thought. The red head's shoulders slouched in defeat as he ran his slender fingers through his short red locks. "Dad I don't want to marry a mermaid I-"

Triton rose up from his throne and sent his son a furious look. The merman was appalled that such a thing would leave his son's mouth. "And why do you not want to marry a mermaid?! There are thousands of them ready and willing to give themselves to you. Honestly Ariel, you are never grateful. What must I do to make you understand? Have you been sneaking off to the surface again? You haven't been messing around with any of those humans have you? You know that it's forbidden for merpeople to-"

"I'm in love with someone else, alright!"

The words had slipped from Ariel's mouth in a rush. He was so focused on trying to get his father to stop jumping to conclusions that he accidently let out his secret. The young prince gasped and covered his own mouth out of fear. His azure eyes scanned his father, looking for any signs of trauma. He knew that his Dad couldn't stand humans so he knew the very thought of his only son being in love with one would be enough to send him into an early grave. But a giant smile slowly broke out onto the king's face and he took Ariel by surprise when he enveloped the boy in a warm hug.

"Why didn't you tell me you were already in love with a mermaid? I wouldn't have called you here. No matter, where is this girl I must meet her." Ariel's surprised look slowly faded into that of disappointment. He should have known. How could he ever think that this man would ever understand? "Oh I-Uh-she's…its late she's probably at home sleeping." It was all he could come up with at the moment. But regardless Triton laughed and patted the prince on his back. "That's right! You'll just have to introduce me to her tomorrow then. That'll be all for now Ariel."

"Right, goodnight father,"

"Goodnight Ariel. And I'm proud of you."

* * *

Ariel swore to himself that he wasn't going to cry, but that promise broke immediately as soon as he returned to his room. The redhead couldn't recall the last time his father had told him that he was proud of something he'd done. That's how long it's been. And obviously if it had been for another reason he would have been happy to receive the praise from his father…but he wasn't. A single tear slipped past his eye, finally feeling the weight of today weigh itself upon his shoulders.

"How am I supposed to keep this lie up? It's bound to come back and bite me in the end."

"Ariel, dear have you come back from the palace yet?"

Upon hearing the sound of his sister's voice he immediately wiped his eyes with his forearm. "I'm here, you can come in." He didn't even bother to put on a smile because he knew they would be able to tell that he wasn't happy. The girls gathered around him, a frown appearing on their own faces at the sight of their sad brother.

"Like, what happened this time?" Arista said whilst blowing her blonde bangs out of her eye. "Daddy didn't find out about your secret did he?" Ariel shook his head at that and sighed. He felt like ripping his hair out.

"Well not exactly. When I went to visit him he told me that I needed to start looking for a bride. I told him that I didn't want to get married to a mermaid. Then one thing led to another and he started to suspect that I've been going up to the surface again. I was mad at him and accidently told him that I'm in love with someone else and he misunderstood me. Now he thinks that I'm in love with a mermaid and he wants to see her tomorrow." The prince buried his face in his hands and sighed. "He just won't listen. I could have explained but he just…I don't know what to do."

Adella hummed to herself and then squealed, surprising everyone in the room. "I've got an idea! It may sound a bit crazy so just bear with me ok? What if we find a girl to pretend to be Ariel's lover!? Just to get Daddy off of Ariel's case for a while, you know?"

Attina shook her head at the idea, already sensing trouble. "I don't know Adella…I mean how long would they be able to keep it up? You know very well that Daddy expects Ariel to marry within this year. And I imagine that he expects them to act like a couple. How will that work if he doesn't even have feelings for the girl?"

Ariel had to agree with that. He didn't like having to pretend he was in love with someone else just for his father's sake. This wasn't about his father, this wasn't his life. But at the moment it was the only plan that they could rely on. "I don't like it…but it's all that we've got for now so I'll do it. I'm sure we'll think of something better in time."

"Yeah but...who can we find under such a short notice?" Alana mused while pouting. There had to be someone who would be willing to cover for them. "Oh I know, how about Gabriella?" Aquata yelled out.

"She's deaf remember? And none of us can do sign language either."

"Ah yeah that's right. Well, what about Pearl?"

Andrina made a face that practically spoke for itself. "Do you honestly think that daddy will fall for that? He's not stupid you know!" Laughter filled the room as they continued to bicker over who could possibly be Ariel's _bride _for the mean time. The night continued on and eventually they have to go to bed, but not before Adella made a promise to find the young prince someone for before the end of tomorrow.

* * *

The 'bride' that Adella had found was a gorgeous girl, but she was nothing compared to Erica. Ariel had found himself longing to see the beautiful princess. After all it has been two weeks since he had last seen her.

"Ariel this is Vanora! She'll be your stand-in for the meantime."

"Nice to meet you Vanora, I'm Ariel." So this was the girl he would be spending the next couple of weeks-or possibly even a month with. Ariel shook the mermaid's outstretched hand and allowed him-self to get a good look at her face. She had long curly brown hair that stopped at her waist. Her skin had a healthy glow that he was positive Alana would be highly jealous of. Then there's her eyes which was a pretty hazel color, her lips were a pale pink and for a young girl she had quite the curves, but again it didn't matter to him. The only thing that he really adored about her was her blue fin that reminded him of his mother.

"The pleasure is all mine; prince Ariel."

"Please just call me Ariel. I don't like titles all that much to be honest."

She giggled and straightened her posture, "Well then, I'm sure we'll get along great because I'm not a fan of them either. I only use it out of respect." Ariel chuckled at that and smiled. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad hanging with Vanora. "So um…when do we get to visit your father?"

"Right about now would be a good time, the sooner the better."

* * *

"Oh I see why you're so smitten with this girl Ariel, she's very beautiful." King Triton said as he descended from his throne. Ariel swore that his father's smile couldn't get any bigger. Vanora simply smiled and bowed down to the kings in gratitude. "Thank you, sire."

"Oh no my dear, I should be thanking you for capturing my son's heart. I've been trying relentlessly to get him to find a mermaid to marry but he just wouldn't cave. It's good that that is the least of my worries now that's he's found you."

The brunette just laughed nervously and looked at Ariel in sympathy. It hadn't even been five minutes and she could already tell that the poor boy has been in numerous fights with his father. Or at least that's what she was sensing.

"Why don't you take a swim with me around the palace? We can talk about marriage preparations." Vanora nodded her head, "Yes your highness." Ariel trailed along as well, staying silent for the majority of the tour. He was uninterested in what his father had to say. How could he feign happiness? He just made sure to pay _some _attention to their conversation so that his father wouldn't get suspicious.

"What colors would you like to have at the wedding Ariel?"

The red head perked up at hearing his father's voice. He had been too busy watching a group of children nearby play a game. "Um, turquoise would be nice. It's my favorite color." Triton nodded, seeming to take in the information. "And what color would you like at the wedding my dear?" He asked, directing the question to Vanora.

"I think purple would go nicely with turquoise. Or perhaps pink."

"Mhm, I'll have to have Sebastian get everything together for the both of you. But that should be all for now. It was a pleasure meeting you Vanora. I'm sure you'll make a lovely bride and a daughter-in-law." Triton smiled whilst cupping the girl's hand in his own. "Now I have some duties to attend to so I must go, but I'll let Ariel see you off."

"Right, I'll see you later father."

Just for show, Ariel held out his hand and Vanora took it. And the two swam off and out of the king's sight. Once they knew that there were no eyes on them the two released their hands, pulling them back to their respectful places.

"Ariel I-I'm sorry that you have to do all of this. It must be really stressful on you having to live up to all of your fathers expectations." The boy merely shrugged, rubbing a hand against his arm. "One would think that I'd be used to it by now, or that it would at least get easier over time but it doesn't. I just wish that there was a way out of all of this."

The brunette bit her lip. She knew of a way to make the prince's troubles go away but it would be up to him to go through with it. "I know of a way but we mustn't speak about it here." Curious, Ariel nodded his head and once more took her hand, leading her to his secret hideout.

"Come with me, I know a place where we can speak in secret."

* * *

"This is amazing Ariel!"

"You like it?"

"Are you kidding me? I love it!"

The amount of enthusiasm in Vanora's voice lifted the young prince's spirits. Ariel had only ever allowed one soul into his Grotto and that was Flounder. Normally he wouldn't let a girl or anyone for that matter into his sanctuary but somehow a small part of him trusted Vanora.

His grotto was just as beautiful as ever, glimmering with gadgets and gizmos. The mermaid could only gape at how gorgeous the sight was. She swam around excitedly, her blue fin flipping through the water as she examined Ariel's treasures up close. "How long did it take you to collect all of this?"

"About two years, there probably would have been more if father wasn't so strict with me going up to the surface." The redhead said whist rolling his eyes.

Vanora giggled and smiled at Ariel as she took a seat on one of the ledges nearby. It was in the afternoon now so the grotto was illuminated with bright lights. Streaks of orange and yellow filtered into it making most the trinkets shimmer.

"So about your problem, I've heard of a person how can help with a situations such as yours."

Red eye brows shot up in surprise. There was someone who could help him? "Really who is this person?" The brunette leaned in and whispered. "I heard that there's a sea witch lurking somewhere in Atlantica. She was banished and now she's living on the outskirts. Word is that she grants wishes of any sort. I'm sure she'll be able to help you. Her name is Ursula."

"You want me to go to a sea witch? No…I couldn't possibly-"

"It's just a suggestion Ariel, you don't have to. I know we've only just met but I hate to see you look this way. I want you to know that there is always a way out of a situation. You don't have to accept this Ariel. It doesn't have to be this way always, but it's up to you to make the first step."

Ariel bit his bottom lip. Going to a sea witch sounded like trouble. The prince knew for a fact that his father would be furious if he found out about it. But he didn't have to know…

"I think I'll need some time to think about it."

The brunette swam over to him and smiled, placing a gentle hand onto his bare shoulder. "Take all the time you need. I'll be around if you need to find me. But I should get going…my mom is waiting for me." Ariel nodded in understanding. He watched her she swim off towards the exit to his grotto but suddenly reached out a hand despite the fact that her back was turned to him.

"Wait!"

The mermaid turned around, a questioning look overtaking her features.

"Yes?"

"Thank you…for not judging me on all of this. Not once have you questioned me or reacted unkindly to me and I can't help but feel grateful to you for that."

"We all have our share of problems, who am I to judge you based on this? Besides I've seen your father in action so I don't blame you for acting the way that you do. Just stay strong, things will turn around you'll see."

Ariel sighed, "I sure hope so."

"Well, see you soon Ariel."

The boy waved as the teenager disappeared behind the huge rock that hid the confines of his grotto. The boy picked up his dingle hopper, running his thumb over the silverware. Although it seemed as if he was focused on the object in his hand, his mind was far away. "Ursula, hm?" The name seemed so foreign on his tongue, so alien. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

* * *

A/N: I apologize for such a late update I had a lot going on last month. So there is an OC added in this story. I hope everyone is ok with that. But don't worry she won't be a major character. I just needed someone who could introduce Ursula to Ariel, but also be a _pretend _lover for him as well so I came up with Vanora. Like I said before some scenes will be altered due to my wanting to be creative so don't get too surprised if you read a scene that doesn't follow the exact movie. With that being said I hope you all stay will me as the story continues to unfold. It may be a bit boring now but I assure you that it will get better once Ariel becomes human (Which won't be long from now). Also the names: Pearl and Gabriella were characters from _The Little Mermaid: The series._

In response to:

**Guest**: Thank you very much! Here is the update, I hope you enjoy it! :)

**Megan lyle**: Now I can be mean and as rude as you were to me, but I was raised differently so I will talk to you like a normal human being. Thank you for your review! Your flame has definitely fueled my motivation to write more and get better at what I do. I don't know if you _thought _that by saying something as uncivil and discourteous as that was going to actually make me mad and give up on this story, because if you were thinking that then you are sadly mistaken. Now of course I don't expect everyone to like what I write because that's just insane, and I respect everyone's opinion. However, there are ways to go about writing a review. If you don't like something about a person's story give constructive criticism. Tell them what they need to improve on to make the story more enjoyable. You don't just go around telling someone to "discard" their story simply because it isn't to _your _liking. And I pray that you don't do that to other writers as well, because I know that not everyone will respond as kindly like I just did.

Thank you to all that has favorited, followed, and reviewed! It means a lot to have the support that I have received. Love to all! And please, if you have any suggestions that you think would make the story better or something of that sort, please don't hesitate to message me or leave a review and I'll see what I can do.

_~Lady_


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